Apparatus and method for roll bending heated glass sheets

Apparatus for roll bending heated glass sheets comprising:

• a roll bending station having a heating chamber that is communicated with the interior of a furnace in which glass sheets are conveyed along a direction of conveyance for heating in preparation for bending;
• a roll conveyor having horizontally extending conveyor rolls that are rotatively driven and spaced horizontally within the heating chamber of the roll bending station along the direction of conveyance extending laterally with respect thereto to support and convey a heated glass sheet to be bent;
• the roll bending station having a pair of sets of bending rolls that are spaced laterally with respect to each other along the direction of conveyance;
• a bending roll support and drive mechanism located externally of the heating chamber to support and rotatively drive the sets of bending rolls which extend into the furnace with the bending rolls of each set at progressively increasing inclinations along the direction of conveyance to engage opposite lateral sides of the conveyed glass sheet within the heating chamber and provide bending thereof along a direction transverse to the direction of conveyance;
• the roll support and drive mechanism including a frame mounted externally at opposite lateral sides of the furnace and having curved support ribs, the roll support and drive mechanism including an elongated connector that extends at each lateral side of the furnace at an inclination to provide connection of the bending rolls to each other, and clamps that secure the bending rolls to the curved support ribs to provide the progressively increasing inclination of the bending rolls along the direction of conveyance;
• and
• an adjuster that provides lateral adjustment of each frame with respect to the furnace to accommodate bending of glass sheets of different sizes.

Apparatus for roll bending heated glass sheets comprising:

• a roll bending station having a heating chamber that is communicated with the interior of a furnace in which glass sheets are conveyed along a direction of conveyance for heating in preparation for bending;
• a roll conveyor having horizontally extending conveyor rolls that are rotatively driven and spaced horizontally within the heating chamber of the roll bending station along the direction of conveyance extending laterally with respect thereto to support and convey a heated glass sheet to be bent;
• the roll bending station having a pair of sets of bending rolls that are spaced laterally with respect to each other along the direction of conveyance;
• a bending roll support and drive mechanism located externally of the heating chamber to support and rotatively drive the sets of bending rolls which extend into the furnace with the bending rolls of each set at progressively increasing inclinations along the direction of conveyance to engage opposite lateral sides of the conveyed glass sheet within the heating chamber and provide bending thereof along a direction transverse to the direction of conveyance;
• the roll support and drive mechanism including a frame mounted externally at opposite lateral sides of the furnace and having curved support ribs, the roll support and drive mechanism including an elongated connector that extends at each lateral side of the furnace at an inclination to provide connection of the bending rolls to each other, each elongated connector having an upstream end including a universal connection for mounting thereof on the associated frame and having a downstream end including an adjuster for adjusting the elevation thereof with respect to the frame to adjust the inclination of the bending rolls, clamps that secure the bending rolls to the curved support ribs to provide the progressively increasing inclination of the bending rolls along the direction of conveyance, the clamps that secure the bending rolls to the curved support ribs of the frame including frustoconical clamp members and a clamp actuator that selectively provides clamping of the frustoconical clamp members to the curved support ribs and unclamping thereof to permit the adjustment of the inclination of the bending rolls;
• each bending roll including a tubular support having a connection to the associated elongated connector, antifriction bearings supported by the tubular support, a metallic roll support member mounted for rotation by the antifriction bearings, a refractory bending roll member mounted by the metallic roll support member, the metallic roll support member of each bending roll having one end including a hole that receives the refractory bending roll member, an adhesive that secures the refractory roll member within the metal roll support member, and the metallic roll support member having another end including a drive member for rotatively driving the bending roll;
• and
• an adjuster that provides lateral adjustment of each bending roll support and drive mechanism with respect to the furnace to accommodate bending of glass sheets of different sizes.

A method for roll bending heated glass sheets comprising:

• conveying a glass sheet within a furnace heating chamber along a direction of conveyance for heating to a bending temperature;
• continuing to convey the heated glass sheet within the heating chamber on rotatively driven horizontally extending rolls adjacent an exit end of the heating chamber;
• supporting a pair of sets of bending rolls externally of the heating chamber at opposite lateral sides thereof with the bending rolls of each set projecting into the furnace with progressively increasing inclinations along the direction of conveyance;
• and
• rotatively driving the sets of bending rolls which engage opposite lateral sides of the conveyed glass sheet to provide bending thereof along a direction transverse to the direction of conveyance.

A method for roll bending heated glass sheets comprising:

• conveying a glass sheet within a furnace heating chamber along a direction of conveyance for heating to a forming temperature;
• continuing to convey the heated glass sheet within the heating chamber on rotatively driven horizontally extending rolls adjacent an exit end of the heating chamber;
• clamping a pair of sets of bending rolls to curved support ribs externally of the heating chamber at opposite lateral sides thereof with the bending rolls of each set projecting into the furnace with progressively increasing inclinations along the direction of conveyance;
• rotatively driving the sets of bending rolls which engage opposite lateral sides of the conveyed glass sheet to provide bending thereof along a direction transverse to the direction of conveyance;
• and
• laterally adjusting the pair of sets of bending rolls with respect to the direction of conveyance to accommodate bending of glass sheets of different sizes.